Denver Broncos mock draft: Moving up and down the draft board

Second Round

After trading up into the 30s for the first time, I took the player I feel best fits what the Broncos do defensively at the cornerback position — TCU’s Jeff Gladney.

Although he’s not the biggest corner in this draft class at 5-foot-10, 191 pounds, Gladney is physical. He can play both inside and outside and provide the Broncos with a player who excels in both man and zone coverages.

Gladney is instinctive and aggressive, and I think would fit in perfectly with the Broncos as a starter opposite AJ Bouye.

One of the best parts of Gladney’s game? His confidence. He is exceptionally confident that he’s the best player on the field when he’s out there, and he plays with the required swagger of a top cornerback prospect.

Given the fact that the Broncos play the Chiefs twice, maybe three times a year, having a plethora of depth and options at cornerback is necessary.

After trading into the top 40 for a second time with the assets acquired earlier, the Broncos get yet another valuable piece of their offense.

I’ve thrown this out on Twitter before, and maybe I’ll expound on this in a full article at some point, but the safety position is perhaps the most reasonable non-wide receiver first-round option for the Broncos in this draft.

Why?

Because players like Xavier McKinney and Jeremy Chinn would fit Vic Fangio’s defense so well.

The Broncos need more athleticism in their sub-package. They obviously have Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson at the safety positions, but Jeremy Chinn wouldn’t have to come in and replace either one of them or steal snaps from either of them, necessarily.

Chinn would make Todd Davis more of a part-time player as someone who comes in as a big nickel or dime linebacker, a matchup player on tight ends, a blitzer, or whatever else the Broncos would like.

Chinn’s size and athleticism are other-worldly, and as the nephew of Steve Atwater, it’s in his genes to deliver big hits.

Chinn’s man cover skills and ability to play the ball in the air could be huge for the Broncos going up against athletic tight ends all the time.